Non-dominant Handwriting

[Blackfish64]

I reading and listening to John Bradshaw, I have followed many of his suggestions.  One of them is the idea of non-dominant handwriting.  Basically, I pick up a pencil or a pen and start writing with my left (non-dominant) hand.  One of Bradshaw's ideas was to request the inner child to write a letter to the self.  I did this exercise with automatic writing, just letting whatever child I was show up as he pleased and write whatever he wants.  It comes as no surprise to me a child I once was, the one who was first learning how to write, showed up and wrote me a fine, positive, and happy letter.  I have also done some sentence-completion exercises with my non-dominant hand.  Each evening, as I take a little while to do some of these exercises, I am amazed at how quickly my non-dominant handwriting is improving.  At first it was quite rough, but now it is beginning to look and feel quite natural.  On another note, as soon as I am done writing all these little notes and letters and exercises to my self from my child self, and vice-verse, I allow myself this pleasantly surprising little act of wanting to fold the note up and put it in my pocket for later, like the little child in me would have done.  I caught myself doing it.  I thought, 'Why am I stuffing this note in my pocket?'  I went ahead and did it.  It made the boy in me happy.    

 

Now, this exercise has quite an interesting twist for me.  I don't really remember this, but was informed by my mother that when I first started to learn to write I naturally picked up the writing tool with my left (non-dominant hand).  Dad and Grandma didn't like it, and screamed and shouted at me, whapped my knuckles with pencils and rulers,  pulled the hair at the nape of my neck, and forced me to switch to writing with my right hand.  I do recall how frustrating it was to learn to write in the beginning.  Perhaps this forced switching had something to do with my frustration.  I don't know.  Mom wanted them to leave me alone, but they would not.  I, obviously, switched to my right hand after all.  

 

Another strange thing about my ambidextrousness is that I eat naturally with my left (non-dominant) hand.  But I can eat just as well with my dominant hand.  When I was in the construction trades long ago, I could work my hammer, trowel, level, pencil, shovel, whatever I happened to have in my hands, with both hands.  In living here in Thailand and getting my international driver license, I had no problems at all switching from driving on the left side of the car and the right side of the road to driving on the right side of the car on the left side of the road.  In eating with chopsticks, which I almost always do at every meal, I use the chopsticks with my left (non-dominant) hand, though, again, I can use both hands just as easily.  

 

Anyway, I will not stop writing with my non-dominant hand.  It's just too much fun, loving, joy, and self-knowledge and discovery.  I am thoroughly enjoying this incredibly powerful tool!